Lisa Marie and mum thank the King's fans

Lisa Marie Presley joined her mother Priscilla on stage yesterday to greet thousands of cheering Elvis fans at a concert marking the 25th anniversary of the King's death.

"You're helping Elvis make history again," Priscilla told the crowd of 14,000 jammed into The Pyramid arena in Memphis. "I want to thank you for your loyalty and support for Elvis. You have given so much back to him."

An enormous video screen filled with images of Elvis singing some of his trademark songs. On stage, members of his original back-up band played. Among them was Elvis's first drummer, DJFontana, who drew his own ovation when the cameras focused on him.

This year's festivities marking Elvis's death on August 16, 1977, at Graceland, have drawn the largest gathering of fans - an estimated 35,000 - since Presley died.

Lisa Marie, her new movie-star husband Nicolas Cage, and Priscilla Presley secretly visited Graceland in the early hours of the morning and watched from the mansion windows as fans carried candles to Elvis's grave in an all-night vigil. They were unseen by the crowd as they entered and left. ");document.write("

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They then made a brief stop at Elvis Presley's Memphis, a restaurant and nightclub on Beale Street, where they watched revellers from the privacy of a VIP area.

Fans began gathering at Graceland early on Friday for the vigil. They carried candles and left poems and trinkets in the Meditation Garden where Elvis is buried.

Their spirits were undampened by a wild storm and many fans rushed to souvenir shops to buy Elvis umbrellas and plastic ponchos, then returned to their places in line for the candlelight procession.